House of Lords
Treaties Protectorate :' Partopian Alliance' ODP :' NOIR' NAP :' League of Small Superpowers :' Grey Council' & '''United Sovereign States' - The Triumvirate Treaty The Great Charter of The House of Lords Preamble This document, henceforth known as The Great Charter of The House of Lords, covers information on the establishment, rights and membership of The House of Lords and that combined with the documents entitled Statement on Elections and Legislative Processes, Appointment of Noble Rank and Honour and Missive on the Conduct of War forms the body of work by which the House shall be governed. Establishment of The House of Lords Let it be known that I, Aurdal of Aurdalia; that I, Lord Vorak of Vorakia; that I, Lord DE of Svitjod; that I, Lord Telcontar of TelcontarConfederacy; that I, Grossenschwamm of Urwaldland; that I, Wobbler of Terra Ninjo; that I, Silvara of Ys; that I, Baldrug of Infected Faction; that I, DarkUnderlord of Iboloral and that I, mathboy of Math Country; listed above in order of Nation birth, do hereby establish The House of Lords and verily do spam these forums with our announcements as deemed necessary, appropriate and according to our whims. Furthermore, let it be known that The House of Lords functions under such construct and rule of law as follows forthwith. Appointment of The First Governing Body and Assumption of Noble Rank Let it be known that from henceforth, and until such time as their resignation or other change of status, the founding Members of the House assume the following position, rank and honour: * His Eminence The Right Venerable DarkUnderlord, Lord President and Leader of the House, 1st Duke of The House of Lords, President of Iboloral. * His Excellency The Most Respected Lord Vorak, Prime Minister, 2nd Grand Marquis of The House of Lords, Lord of Vorakia. * His Grace The Most Respected Aurdal, Lord Chancellor, 2nd Lord Count of The House of Lords, High Priest of Aurdalia. * His Exaltedness The Venerable Grossenschwamm, High Commissioner, Field Marshal, 2nd Count of The House of Lords, Vorlagenkoenig of Urwaldland. * Her Generousness The Most Respected Silvara, Exchequer, 1st Lady Earl of The House of Lords, Queen of Ys. * His Benevolence The Most Noble Lord Telcontar, 1st Viscount of The House of Lords, High King and Ruler of the Telcontar Confederacy. * His Virtuousness The Most Respected Lord DE, Master of the Household, 1st Count of The House of Lords, King of Svitjod. * His Generousness The Most Honourable Baldrug, 1st Baron of The House of Lords, Leader of Infected Faction. * His Generousness The Respected Wobbler, 2nd Baron of The House of Lords, Supreme Leader of Terra Ninjo. * His Stateliness The Most Respected mathboy, 1st Lord Count of The House of Lords, Dictator of Math Country. Note that all titles are in the style of His or Her Honour The Honour Name, Position(s) (if such is held), Rank of The House of Lords, Title of Nation. Flag of The House Let us present to the community, the Official Flag of the House (shown here with additional white border for the purposes of definition). The Flag of the House contains the following aspects: * A technicolour photograph of His Lordship The Most Honourable Jim. * The Pistol of Baron von Hiney, best known for putting thine caps in thou ass (or thou caps in thine ass, however that's supposed to go). * The Axe of Chief Wanamatatingu, whose land was purchased for beads and cupcakes so that the First Great Palace could be built upon itÂ¹. * A background consisting of the colours Maroon and Black, the Official Colours of the House. Â¹Chief Wanamatatingu later led an uprising of native people's which burnt the First Great Palace to the ground. His Axe was found embedded in the head of The Marquis De'Ville. Declaration of Intents and Matters Pertaining to Haughtiness *1. The House shall be established and this, the Great Charter of the House, shall take effect on and after the 31st day of January, 2007. *2. That this document and with it all laws passed in the Legislative Assembly under the processes so defined in this and other documents, shall be binding on the courts, judges and every Member of the House. *3. That The House of Lords shall hereby be known to others as the House, HoL, Alliance, Union, Empire, A Great Bunch of Guys Whom I Really Admire and Respect or other, and that such classification will be left up to the minds of those who wish to make such judgement. *4. That the House shall have as its motto, the phrase "In Action Faithful and In Honour Clear". *5. That anyone who seeks Membership of the House shall have such granted, upon successful completion of the procedures outlined in the section of this document pertaining to the obtainment of Membership. *6. That http://houseoflords.terra-arcanum.com will be the official residence of The House of Lords with http://www.terra-arcanum.com/phpBB being our unofficial residence (and open to all those who like Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil or Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, or Troika Games as the case may be). *7. That our Official Colours shall be Black and Maroon and that Members are encouraged, but not in any way required, to choose either of these colours. *8. That no Member, not even the Lord President and Leader of the House, shall be above this Great Charter nor any other laws passed by the House. *9. That the Lord President is indeed a President and not an Emperor because otherwise that would be silly. *10. That despite sources which would suggest otherwise, an Earl is not a Count and vice-versa because otherwise that too would be silly. *11. That The House of Lords wishes to seek out and obtain the respect and appreciation of all other Alliances, and will negotiate freely and openly with said Alliances in the event of any transgression by a Member of the House. *12. That all Foreign Embassies constructed within the House of Lords shall be readable by all Members of the House, regardless of rank or title, though restrictions on speaking may be applied where the case is warranted. *13. That sub-forums are evil and serve no purpose other than to confuse and bewilder Members of the House and that as such, should only be constructed when deemed absolutely necessary and approved by the Lord President. *14. That the House intends to seek out and gain Senate positions within the Black and Maroon trading spheres, by means of friendly competition with other Alliances who also have such intent, and that should the House gain such position, that it will be used only in fairness and with great regard and respect to our fellow Alliances within those trading spheres. *15. That the duty of the House is first and foremost to its Members and as such will assist them in all possible ways with advice in all matters, assistance with trade and arms during times of war. *16. That the House shall honour such Members who prove themselves in battle, diplomacy or any other respected field, with such Noble Rank and Honour as deemed appropriate and approved by Members of the House. *17. That the House seeks to become a sanctioned alliance, through the combined and continued effort of its Members. *18. That the House acknowledges that some of its ideals are long-term but that it is willing to undertake such honourable process as is necessary, to ensure that they may one day be achieved. *19. That fun and silly games shall, from time to time but more often than not, be permitted at the discretion of the Lord President. *20. That while the House does have and will use from time to time, proper ranks and titles for its Members, the constant use of such titles and associated jaunty language can get tiring and that therefore, such proper speak and usage of said titles is only required on rare occasion or for official purposes. *21. That we are not hardcore and are instead just a bit silly as verily, there is much fun to be had with obscenely long titles and Noble Ranks. In other words, we don't talk like ponces all the time, 'k? Procedures of Obtaining Membership Membership is open to all Rulers be they men, women or other, including eunuchs who shall be highly prized for their lack of testes and girly-man singing voices. As such, any Ruler of a Nation, if they should so desire, may request Membership of The House of Lords, by making such statement in The Great Hall and including in that statement, the following details: * Their Ruler name; * The name of their Nation; * Their chosen title as leader of their people (EG: "King / Emperor / Prince / Other" of Nation Name); * A link to their Nation; * And if so desired, applicants may also include a brief explanation as to the reasons for their request. By making such request, applicants submit that they are not a member of any other alliance, and that they are in good standing within the CyberNation's community. Furthermore, such request will be taken as a declaration that they have an understanding of, and acknowledge the power and authority of, the House as outlined in this, and other documents which make up the laws of the House, and that they agree to uphold the values and integrity of the House. Once a request for Membership has been made, and failing any objection from an existing Member of the House, and barring such incidents or lack of honour which may otherwise cause concern, the applicant shall be granted Membership of the House. It is the duty of the High Commissioner, or a named representative thereof, to grant Membership to the applicant. If, for any reason, any existing Member of the House objects to Membership being granted to the applicant, they must make such known in the Legislative Assembly via a Motion of Objection to Membership, either before or within 30 days of the Member being accepted. At such time, it is the duty of the High Commissioner, or their representative, to inform the applicant that there has been an objection. Should the Motion be accepted and pass, the applicant shall be denied Membership or, if having already been accepted, have their Membership and all privileges granted therein revoked. Obligations Upon Members of the House Once accepted into The House of Lords, it is the duty of all Members to: *1. indicate their alliance affiliation as "The House of Lords"; *2. fly the official Flag of the House at all times, should it become available; *3. defend themselves and the House from military threats when requested to do so, under such guidelines as have been laid down by the House with regard to military action; *4. respect and honour themselves and all other Members of the House; *5. follow the direction of the Governing Body or, if they have issue or dispute with those directions, to "put up" by calling for a Ruling from the Lord Chancellor; moving a Motion to Establish a Commission of Inquiry; moving a Motion of No Confidence or undertaking other such legal process as is granted to them by law; or to "shutup"; *6. uphold the values, ideals and rule of law laid out within this Great Charter and other documents, and that should they personally feel the Great Charter, or any law of the House, has failed to be upheld in any particular circumstance, they are honour bound to do their utmost to correct the matter via such applicable process as outlined within the laws of the House. Once accepted, Members shall have a State Room constructed under Sovereignty House, within the Official Forums of the House, for the purpose of keeping such records for their Nation as they should so deem fit. Furthermore, all Members shall be granted acceptance from their peers and be known to have the full and complete rights of a Member of the House. The Power and Authority of the House The House shall, subject to this Charter, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the House with respect to: *1. the structure and positions of Government within the House; *2. the procedures with which Legislation is created and amended; *3. the processes by which Members are appointed to Noble Rank and granted official Honour; *4. the Official Flag of the House and as such, the flag flown by Members of the House; *5. the Alliance Affiliation information entered by Members of the House; *6. the approval of candidates for which Members may vote for in their team Senate; *7. the approval of declarations of war and the subsequent engagement of an Enemy of the House, the authorisation of cease fires and the acceptance of peace; *8. the creation of guidelines regarding the conduct of war and requesting that Members follow such orders, though respecting a Member's decision to refuse where such orders contravene their Sovereign Rights; *9. naming Enemies of the House and denying Members the right to communicate, trade or aid such Enemies without authorisation; *10. negotiating with other Nations and Alliances, with regard to treaties and other matters over which the House has such power; *11. public communication made on behalf of the House. On all other matters, the House may undertake such action as to advise or assist Members as deemed appropriate, but it must be known that such action is not obligatory, nor is any Member required to accept such action undertaken by the House, or follow any requests made of them with regard to such matters. The Sovereign Rights of Our Members Members of the House, as Sovereign Rulers of their own Nation, will continue to explicitly hold all those rights as outlined below. While the House is duty bound to provide advice and assistance with relation to these matters, Members are free to ignore such advice if they should so choose. All Members of the House retain the right to: *1. name their Nation; *2. choose a Ruler name; *3. make or not make donations as they deem fit; *4. name their Capital City; *5. enter information in their Nation's Bio, provided such information does not offend or bring dishonour to the House; *6. choose their Nation's Government; *7. choose their Nation's Religion; *8. choose their Nation's Currency; *9. choose a Team Colour; *10. make Infrastructure purchases and sales; *11. make Technology purchases and sales; *12. improve their Nation's Literacy; *13. decide all matters relating to the Taxation Rate of their Nation's citizens; *14. make Land purchases and sales; *15. determine their preference for War or Peace mode; *16. make such Trade Agreements as they deem fit, provided such agreements are not made with known Enemies of the House; *17. make such Foreign Aid agreements as they deem fit, provided such agreements are not made with known Enemies of the House; *18. purchase and sell Improvements; *19. purchase and sell National Wonders; *20. make decisions related to their Nation's Environment; *21. make decisions related to their Nation's Strength; *22. determine an appropriate DEFCON level; *23. determine the purchase and decommissioning of: ** Soldiers ** Tanks ** Aircraft ** Cruise Missiles ** Nuclear Weapons; *24. determine the primary Ethnicity of their people; *25. make decisions related to their Nation's Happiness; *26. choose responses to Events as they deem fit and proper; *27. determine their Nation's Government Position; *28. the right to the complete freedom of speech within the House and to spam the forums of The House of Lords with whatever language they so choose to use, and to act like silly jackrabbits as such, from time to time, is warranted within said forums; *29. the right to make any speech or communications with any other persons as they deem necessary or appropriate, provided they do not speak on behalf of the House unless such authorisation has been granted; *30. the right to login, govern and give orders to their Nation at any time of day that suits them; *31. any other rights not explicitly taken over by the House. Statement on the Integrity of Member's Rights Any Member who should so abuse their rights as to bring offence or dishonour to the House, may be brought before a Judicial Committee for trial and if found guilty, punishment, or have a Motion of Dismissal moved against them. While the House acknowledges the Sovereign Rights of its Members, it advises that certain acts may cause other Members of the House to move a Motion of Dismissal against any Member, who is deemed to not uphold the values, integrity or purpose of the House. By way of explanation, Members retain the right to free speech with others, as they deem appropriate, and provided that they do not speak on behalf of the House without authorisation to do so. However, if such speech causes embarrassment or disgrace to the House, the Member and Ruler of that Nation may be removed from the House, if a Motion of Dismissal is successfully passed against their person or a Judicial Committee so orders. Likewise, Members retain the right to trade with those Nations as they deem fit. However, knowingly trading with a Nation in disrepute may be cause for a Motion of Dismissal, or other disciplinary action being moved against such a Member. On the Principle of Quid Pro Quo Members of the House that do for others, shall expect others to do for them. Likewise, Members of the House who, by their sovereign right, refuse to aid others, may find that such aid is not offered to them in their time of need. Furthermore, any Member who would refuse to provide aid, arms, advice or other assistance when able to and directly requested to do so by another Member of the House, is not protected from a Motion of Dismissal being brought against their person which, if successful, will result in them being stripped of their status and their Membership revoked. Definition of Terms For clarity in the interpretation of this document, the following definitions are supplied: * "The House" shall mean The House of Lords as established by this document. * "Nation" shall mean any registered Nation of CyberNations. * "Ruler" shall mean any Ruler of a Nation registered in CyberNations. * "Member" or "Member of the House" shall mean any Ruler of a Nation granted Membership to The House of Lords, under the procedures laid down in this document. * "Governing Body" or "Government" shall refer to the Lord President and all the Great Officers of State. * "Member of Government" shall mean any Member of the House who is also a Member of the Governing Body. * "Official Forums of the House" shall mean the forums as named in article e, clause 6 of this document. * "Absence" shall mean having not posted in the Official Forums of the House for a period of 3 or more days. * "Enemy of the House" shall mean any Nation which has declared war on a Member of the House, or any Nation so named and declared as such by the Field Marshal or their representative. * "Legislation" shall mean any document passed within the Legislative Assembly of the House which, once passed, is binding upon Members. Conclusion and Assent This document, which may be cited as "The Great Charter of The House of Lords", was passed into law on this, the 30th day of March, 2007 but shall be deemed to have taken effect on and after, the 31st day of January, 2007. His Eminence The Right Venerable DarkUnderlord, Lord President and Leader of the House, 1st Duke of The House of Lords, President of Iboloral. History of the House of Lords The History of the House of Lords (It's a work in progress, updates will come frequently) To begin to understand how the House of Lords were founded, we have to go back to the very roots of where we came from. And it all started with one Norwegian, named Aurelius. He found a game called "CyberNation" which a browserbased political and economical simulation game. He jumps at it and invites his good old Friend Vorak, whom he know from the Troika based fansite www.terrra-arcanum.com. They try hard to raise the interest there to create a new alliance in this game. This they fail with, and they found thereself taking a liking of the Grey Council and were admitted membership. Later on, those that followed from Terra-Arcanum would follow in their footsteps and also apply for membership in the Grey Council. Then came the Black September. A Mass exodus where practivally the whole governing body of the Grey Council left and founded The Order of the Black Rose. In the turbulence that followed Vorak came to play a prominent position and was later elected chairman. The damage that had been done were great, but the Grey Council managed to survive. Then came there a point when one of the members just couldn't stay. DarkUnderlord came into a dispute with most of the members of the Grey Council and left. At first, he applied for membership in the Order of the Black Rose but he cancelled his application before getting an approval. An idea had taken hold of him. He started to talk with his old friend Vorak, whom knew each other well. An alliance of their own. This was the year of 2007, late February. the rounded up their fellow comrades that shared the same origin as they did, and so was The House of Lords founded. We were all eager, and the House grew in numbers. With DarkunderLord as Lord President and Vorak as Prime minister, the House of Lords took it's shape and was formed into what it is today. A year later it was yet again time to rejoive, as the United Sovereign States, another faction that had split up from the Grey Council, merged into the House of Lords. We rapidly increased in size and got to see the faces of old friends yet again. Ever since then its been skirmishes, diplomacy and recruiting all the usual business an alliance goes through really. Our roots are almost entirely unique since the Grey Council was a union of idealists, the goal we all had was to create an alliance that truly went beyond the scope of what Admin thought an alliance could be. The problem ended up that an alliance full of political free thinkers ended up splitting into factions like that sort of thing always does and the factions destroyed the purity of the GC's goal. In the end these factions left and formed their own alliances (including us) because what we tried to do was really just to complicated for the Cyberverse. In May 2008 Vorak decided the he needed a vacation and Silvara was elected Prime minister in May 16, 2008. In January 2009 the Lord President DarkUnderlord decided to resign from the position in order enjoy what retirement had to offer in the form of Cigarrs, Whisky and Wenches. He later decided to leave this world and dispearsed into the skies as a cloud of ancient class. The ninth of January 2009 Vorak was appointed to Lord President and things were looking bright. In May 15 the Alliance suffered yet another great lose when the Sitting Prime Minister Silvara and the Lord Magistrate Aurelius took there leave from Planet Bob once and for all. Acting on this the Lord President Vorak immeadetily appointed Silvio Arjunza as Temporary Prime minister and made clear the Osiris took over as Lord Magistrate after Aurelius. Silvara had at this point been Prime Minister for 2 years to the day and Aurelius had been Lord Magistrate since the position came to the 8th of October 2009.